82. Mach42: the Oxford spinout accelerating semiconductor time-to-market

Founder: Muhammad Firmansyah Kasim, Brett Larder, Sam Vinko, and Gianluca Gregori
Year founded: 2019
Website: mach42.ai

Time-consuming numerical simulations are critical for the work of scientists. But they can take months to run and require the manual input of file formats and deployment to supercomputers.

Mach42 was created in 2019 to accelerate verification challenges in this sector by leveraging AI technology (then it was known as Machine Discovery, but it rebranded to Mach42 last year).

While the team of cofounders were at the University of Oxford, it quickly became clear that there was a need for usable access to modern tools that support complex computational workflows – Mach42 was born as a spinout company to address these needs.

Our main challenge was securing commercial customers' collaboration,

The startup leverages advanced simulation technologies, cloud computing, and AI to deliver results instantaneously for the semiconductor design and fusion market segments.

Called ‘The Discovery Platform’, its software allows engineers to explore the entire design space in a fraction of the time compared to current standards. It can also, the founders say, be integrated easily into commercial analog design flows.

That focus on semiconductors is especially prescient today. We live in an era when technology is the backbone of virtually every industry, and semiconductors are critical to all things electrical. It’s no exaggeration, then, to say that reducing the time it takes to bring new semiconductors to market could have benefits not just for manufacturers, but for the entire world.

That challenge was overcome by having credible talent in the company and with our commitment to early partners.

Like most disruptors, proving that has been Mach42’s biggest hurdle. “Our main challenge was securing commercial customers’ collaboration,” says Kasim. “That challenge was overcome by having credible talent in the company and with our commitment to early partners.”

The team are most proud of the early availability of the Mach42 solution for production use. Its investors include BGF, Foresight, Future Planet Capital, Oxford Technology, and Williams.

Next up, the spinout’s mission is to cut the product design development cycle in half, leveraging the startup’s proprietary AI technology. This could have a significant impact on the output of innovators, paving the way for groundbreaking discoveries, and securing it a spot in the Startups 100 Index.